lasting presence in the shortest time possible without going through a "dark night of the soul"
sciencebuff
San Francisco, California New
TLDR: how do I achieve maximum presence (for as long as possible) in the shortest amount of time possible?
Looking at the only 3 buddha's (with a small b) with whom I have familiarity of their life, Eckhart Tolle, Jesus and the Buddha, I've observed that they all seem to have went through a process where they basically had to kill themselves in one way or another, you could say spiritually, to come out the other side with a lasting, deep presence.
Ultimately you seemingly have to go through a very painful process to come out the other side a happy, peaceful person who can manifest things if they'd like.
I've had some personal experiences with dark nights of the soul involuntarily and voluntarily throughout my life where this happened, at least to a large extent. Unfortunately, either I didn't go through the experience profoundly enough or things in my environment were so powerful that they were able to jolt me out of it. I'm leaning much more towards it being my problem though.
My question is, how can I achieve the benefits of a dark night of the soul completely, forever without having to suffer profoundly?
Can I achieve presence with effort? I've heard of "Right Effort" in Buddhism and John Kabot Zinn says mindfulness is paying attention in the present moment" as if your life depends on it" but I've also heard from Sant Rajinder Singh that mediation "should be an effortless effort".
If I do achieve presence through effort, will doing more of it overtime yield more results?
how do I achieve maximum presence (for as long as possible) in the shortest amount of time possible?
Comments
To some extent you're barking up the wrong tree. On the one hand the spiritual path is a lifelong pursuit, progress is usually pretty incremental with the occasional breakthrough. At another level, it becomes hard to actually make progress with an attitude of striving.
Also, pain and suffering often make some of the best fertilizer for our practice and growth.
I imagine that's not quite the answer you were hoping for. It gets asked fairly regularly and my response I think resembles the response experienced teachers give. If you really wanted to go fast, perhaps something like joining a retreat community as a practitioner if you can afford it or as staff working for room and board?
Regarding skipping aspects of the path (I'm not sure this fits completely here), there is something called spiritual bypassing where one moves past certain things without addressing them. Down the road these buried things become unburied or continue to impact us in ways we lack awareness of because we deny or ignore them.
The very idea of ‘maximum presence’ is likely to set you off on the wrong foot. My experiences have been more in the trend of gradual unfolding, taking every unsatisfactory experience in my life as a teacher which tells me more about myself and allows me to come closer to living happily and authentically.
I would say, surround yourself with the spiritual. Imbibe it, breathe it, live it, if that’s what you really want to do. Don’t avoid life, because life is your best teacher.
One thing that’s impossible is to be the next Eckhart Tolle. You can’t imitate all the things that happened to him to become just like him, or like Jesus, or like the Buddha. We all have a unique path through life, and the best we can do is live it in the best way we know how.
You could say, my life involves ten years of hardship as a Buddhist monk. Or you could say, I’m going to study with the shamans of South America. Those are life paths which you could choose, depending on what inspires you on your spiritual quest. Either way, I’d suggest some time learning how to learn from life.
Awakening is a peculiar thing. Many people meditate for years and nothing happens. And some have all kinds of colourful experiences which convince them they’ve found ‘it’, and for some people nothing happens. Others have a psychosis and take ten years to recover. So be gentle with yourself, learn compassion for your body and mind.
A lot of things might be helpful. Creating positive karma with the hope to have it connect you with the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha? Developing beneficial qualities and understanding, even if only a small amount compared with what is ultimately possible.
I'm under the impression it involves ongoing practice and whatever one already has in their karma bank savings...
Turn inwards and simply figure out 'who am I'. It's as simple as that.
I read some forums and there is always one or two people who ask this type of question. One says that they have been practicing for 20 years and just wish they would get a glimpse of this Nirvana or Buddha nature. Now, this person asking how he (she) can get the benefits without suffering.
And then, there are those who seemly have all the answers whether they have experienced Nirvana (or Buddha nature) or not. Of course, the ones with the answers are the ones who annoy me cause it is not like I haven't tried those things nor is it like I do not know those answers.
Is there a short cut? Psychedelics? Might let you see what it may be like but it doesn't last. If it doesn't last then how is it real? And does it really help or does it hinder? The stories handed down about Buddha and his successors do not mention drug use.
I am guessing the quickest way to enlightenment is to find a teacher who has the wisdom and compassion to bring one to see the truth of the nature of oneself. And even then there are no guarantees.
In the sutras it says the Buddha awakened many, but other than that I don’t know of anyone who claims to have even one enlightened student. So finding a teacher of that calibre is not going to be easy.
The Fast paths are in Buddhist Tantra, Mahamudra and Dzogchen. In Zen, Zen.
In Theravadin, becoming a Nun. In Jainism being born a man. In Islam, Secular Sufism. In short, head straight for the Stark Knight of the Sole. And start Taoist fishing ..